carat
/ˈkæ.ɹət/ noun
Forms carats
- noun A metric unit of mass equal to exactly 200 mg, chiefly used for measuring precious stones and pearls.
- noun (historical) Any of several small units of mass used for measuring precious stones and pearls, equivalent to 189–212 mg.
- noun A 24-point scale used to measure the purity of gold. “18-carat gold is 75% gold by mass. 24-carat gold is pure.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle French carat, from Italian carato, from Arabic قِيرَاط (qīrāṭ, “carat, similarly small units such as inches”), from Ancient Greek κεράτιον (kerátion, “hornlet, carob seed”), from κέρας (kéras, “horn”) + -ιον (-ion, diminutive suffix). Doublet of quilate and keratin.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The weight by which precious stones and pearls are weighed.
- noun A twenty-fourth part; --a term used in estimating the proportionate fineness of gold.
Etymology [F. carat (cf. It. carato, OPg. quirate, Pg. & Sp. quilate), Ar. q bean or pea shell, a weight of four grins, a carat, fr. Gr. Horn.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “carat”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details